Target toy



Aug. 29, 1939- J. BoNNETT ET AL TARGET TOY Filed March l0, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 29, 1939. JQBoNNE-TT ET AL 2,170,350

TARGET TOY Filed March l0, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5W m IM, 6 mw J .Patented Aug. 29, 1939 UNTTE' STATES PATENT OFFICE assixnors to New York,

Louis `Marx N. Y., a corporation of New York & Company, Inc.,

Application March l0, 1938, Serial No. 194,992 14 Claims. (Cl. 273-402) This invention relates to toys, and more particularly, a target toy.

The primary object of the invention is to generaily improve' target toys, and more especially,

' 5 such toys made for use by small children and employing harmless darts tipped with soft rubber suction cups. Such targets are ordinarily provided with a hard smooth face so that the dart will adhere thereto by suction. A more particular object of the invention is to increase the variety of operation, and the excitement obtainable from the toy, by arranging the target so that a` part thereof, say, the bulls-eye, consists merely a frangible membrane, for example, a thin paper, 15 such as tissue paper, which may be broken and the target penetrated despite the large, soft, harmless nature of the head of the dart. The tissue paper is preferably applied to the target in a replaceable manner so that it is readily replaced 2o whenever broken.

Further objects of the invention center about the construction of the target and the method of mounting the paper in place. Two species oi the invention are disclosed herein, and in one of these, a small piece of paper is employed limited, in area, to the region of the bull -eye, and the supporting means in back of the target consists of a piece of sheet metal hingedly related to the target and provided with a pivoted fingerpiece, or like latch means, for holding the backing piece against the back of the target. This backing piece is, of course, cut away behind the aperture in the target in order not to obstruct the passage of the dart through the target.

Ip accordance with another species of the invention, the target is provided with a substantial number of perforations, and in such c'ase, it is convenient to use a single large piece of tissue paper to cover the entire area of the target, and 40 all of the perorations therethrough. A single large backing piece is employed and this may be made of a thick piece of multi-ply cardboard or nbre board, or the like. The backing board may be provided with pivoted resilient strips which cooperate with the target to lock the backing piece thereagainst. In accordance with a further feature and object of the invention, the holes through the target are preferably located unsymmetrically and in such fashion that a single piece of paper may be reversed and again used,

for the broken areas are all located out of reg-lstration with the target holes when the piece of paper is reversed.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing, and

such other objects as will' hereinafter appear,

using externally applied stiifening means.

our invention consists in the target elements and their relation one to the other, as hereinafter are more particularly described in the specification and sought to be defined in the claims. The speciiication is accompanied by drawings in 5 which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a target embodying features of our invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the target at the l bull's-eye;

Fig. 4 is a section taken in the plane of the line 4--4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a modified form of the invention; y l5 Fig. 6 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 'i is a rear elevation of a part of the target showing the latch means for the backing board, a part of the board being cut away to expose a piece of paper being used for the second time; and

Fig. 8 is a section through one edge of the target assembly with the parts in separated relation.

Referringto the drawings, the target comprises a smooth flat sheet metal body T, and a suitable stand S for supporting the target in substantially upright position. The face of the target is marked with appropriate target indications, and

y at least one of these indications includes a circular aperture A, which is larger in diameter than the rubber suction tip of the dart which is used with the target. We further provide backing lmeans B for supporting a piece of paper P across the aperture. It will be noted that the backing piece B is openable to facilitate replacement of the paper, and that it is perforated in registration with the target hole so as to permit rupture of the paper when struck by the dart. If the dart strikes-withsufiicient force, it will pass entirely through the target.

Considering the arrangement in greater detail, and referring to that form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 through 4 of the drawings, the target T is preferably made of a single piece of sheet metal the edges of which are flanged at l2 and curled at Il in order to stiften and rigidity the target, 'thereby dispensing with the necessity for The stand S is preferably made inexpensively of bent wire, it consisting of a large, generally U-shaped, piece' of wire i6, the upper ends of which are turned inwardly at 'I8 and pass through mating holes in the flanges I2 of the target. The crossbar 20 of the U-shaped member i6 is bent upwardly somewhat at the center, as is indicated at 22, and therereceives a spacer member or hook 24, the rear end of which is curled around or pivoted on the part 22, and the front end 26 oi which is bent downwardly and detachably received in a strip of sheet metal 28 struck inwardly from the face of the target at the incisions 30. With this arrangement, the stand S may be folded to a position in substantially the same plane as the target, thus making a thin, compact member for shipment prior to sale and ior storage by the owner when not in use.

In the present case, the markings on the face of the target include the usual concentric target circles 32 surrounding the bulls-eye aperture A. These circles may be given different score values, as is indicated on the drawings. Additional markings 34 may be provided which introduce an element of luck or chance into the game, but these are not essential and form no significant part of the present invention, except insofar as the frequent use of such markings helps demonstrate some reasons for the desirability of the second form of the invention, which is described later in the specication.

In the present case, the backing plate B is made of a small, approximately square piece of sheet metal, the lower edge of which is provided with downwardly'projecting tongues 36, as is most clearly shown in Fig. 3. These tongues pass through slots 38 in the target, and the target is preferably indented to receive the tongues 36,

as is shown at 40 in Fig. 4. The tongues are exposed at the front of the target, as is shown in Fig. 1, but lie ilush with the face of the target, as is shown in Fig. 4. The indicated tongue and slot connection is merely a very inexpensive form of hinge or pivot for the backing piece B, permitting the same to be swung from the solid to the broken line position shown in Fig. 4. It will be understood, however, that more elaborate and expensive hinge connections may be provided if desired, and that such connections may be so made as not to in any way perforate or mar the smooth front i'ace of the target.

The backing piece is held against the back of the target by an appropriate latch, and, in the present case, this comprises a ngerpiece 42 -i'ormed of sheet metal and pivotally mounted on the target by means of a small eyelet 44. A part of the ngerpiece is turned upwardly at one side, as is shown at 46, thus facilitating movement of the latch from the position shown in Fig. 3 to a sidewardly displaced position which clears the upper edge of the backing piece and thus permits it to drop downwardly. 'I'he backing piece is cut away or apertured at 48, this aperture being as large as or larger than the bulls-eye aperture A in the front of the target. The apertures are, of course, located in registration.

A frangible membrane P of any desired character is inserted between the back of the target and the front of the backing piece B. 'I'his membrane is most simply and inexpensively made of thin, readily broken paper, such as tissue paper. It is a simple matter to replace the paper when broken.

Coming now to the modiication of the invention shown in Figs. 5 through 8, this target differs essentially in providing a substantial number of apertures in the target. These may be given diil'erent score values and may even be made din'erent from one another in diameter, thus making it more diflicult to penetrate one than another. Ihe smallest aperture is made aqua! to or somewhat larger in diameter than the rubber tip of the dart being used with the target. One

scribed. The stand S is generally similar to that previously described, it comprising a generally U-shaped wire 58 the upper ends of which are turned inwardly and sprung into holes inside anges 54. The spacer member or hook 60 is arranged slightly diilerently in this case, the forward or hook end 62 being horizontally disposed, rather than vertically disposed, and being received in a strap formed between vertical, rather than horizontal, incisions in the front face of the target, so that the hook 60 will nt below the bottom edge 6i of the backing piece B.

The backing piece B consists of a single large and preferably thick piece of multi-ply cardboard or fibre board, thlsbeing dimensioned to substantially till the space in back of the target within the flange 54, as will be clear from inspection of Fig. 7. The board B carries a pair of spring strips or latch members 64 thereon, these being pivoted to the board by pins 66. The board may be reinforced by metal washers 68 and 'l0 at the pin. These anchor the rivet securely in place and prevent abrasion and wearing away ot the cardboard as the spring strips are turned. The spring strips are normally bowed or convexed toward the rivet so that the ends tend .to spring away from the backing board. The ends oi the spring strips are pressed down and received in slits 12 cut through the flange 54 of the target, as is best shown in Fig. 6. In Fig. 5, the ends of the spring strips are shown projecting at 14. The slits are made long enough to permit the strips 64 to be swung about the pivot, as for example, from the solid line position 64 to the broken line position 64 in Fig. '7. The entire backing board B may then be removed from the target.

The frangible membrane P consists of a single large piece of thin paper which is disposed between the target and the backing board and which is large enough in area to serve to cover all of the target holes. 'Ihis sheet is held down rmly in smooth, stretched condition because of the pressure thereagainst of the backing board which, in turn, is held snugly against the sheet by the spring action of the bowed spring strips 64.

We prefer to locate the target holes in an unsymmetrical manner on the target. The location is such that the sheet of paper may be used more than once. After the paper has been used once, and even if it is broken at all of the holes, it is merely necessary to reverse the paper relative to the target, and, in such case, a fresh area of paper is provided at each of the holes, the broken parts of the paper being displaced from, and out of registration with, the holes.

Thus, in Fig. '7, a break in the paper is indicated at 80', and the backing board B has been cut away on the line 82 in order to expose the break 80. This break corresponds to the hole 80 in Fig. 5, and was produced during previous use of the paper in reversed position, and it will be noticed that the break 8D is displaced from the target hole 84. This displacement from registration is made to apply to all of the target holes and they are unsymmetrically located on the target with that object in view. In the specific case the structures disclosed without :Iii

andere shown, the reversal of the paper is end for end. that is, the bottom is turned upwardly to be the top. However, the holes may be distributed for reversal from side to side, and, in fact, may be distributed for inversion in both directions so that, theoretically, the sheet may be used, say, four times in all.

It is believed that the construction and operation of our improved target, as well as the many advantages thereof, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description. It will be understood that the target may be usedwith pointed darts or arrows, as well as with the soft rubbertipped suction darts, which are preferred and which have been specifically referred to in the description, but, in such case, the main target face should not be made of metal but should be made of some soft, readily penetrable material adapted to receive the point of the dart or arrow. It will also be apparent that, while we have shown and described our invention in two preferred forms, many changes and modifications may be made in departing from the spirit of the invention dened in the following claims. In the claims, we refer to registration or mating of the holes in the target and in the backing board, but we do not mean by this expression to limit the holes to be of equal dimension. The hole in the bacldng piece can be much larger than the hole in the target, and it need not be circular. All that is necessary is that it clear' the hole in the target and that it hold the paper in place on the target.

l. A toy target having a fiat extensive target face marked with appropriate target indications, at least one oi said indications including an aperture, and releasable support means in back of said target for releasably supporting a frangible membrane across the aperture, said means being a backing plate which is itself apertured to clear the aforesaid target aperture.

2. A toy target comprising a flat extensive sheet metal body, means for supporting said target in substantially upright position, the face of said target being marked with appropriate target indications, at least one of said indications including an aperture, and rcleasable support means in back of said target for releasably supporting a piece oi paper across the aperture, said means including an openable backing piece movably related with respect to the target, and releasable means for holding said backing piece against the back face of the target, said backing means being apertured in registration with the aforesaidtarget aperture.

3. A top target for use with rubber-tipped suction darts. said target comprising a smooth, dat sheet metal body the edges of which are flanged and curled to rigidify the same, stand made of bent wire for supporting said target in substantially upright position, the face of said target being marked with appropriate target indications, at least one of said indications including a;y circular aperture larger in diameter than the tip of the dart, and releasable means in back of said target for releasably supporting a piece of paper across the aperture, said means including an openable backing piece movably related with respect to the target, and latch means for holding said backing piece against the back face of the target, said backing means being apertured in registration with the aforesaid target aperture..

d. A toy target having a flat extensive target.

be arranged to face marked with appropriate target indications, at least one of said indications including an aperture. and releasable support means in back of said target for releasably supporting a frangible membrane across the aperture, said means including a piece of sheet metal o'needge o f which is hinged on the target, a catch at the opposite edge of said piece of sheet metal to hold the same against the back of thetarget, said piece of sheet metal being cut away in back of the aforesaid target aperture.

5. A toy target comprising a nat extensive sheet metal body, means for supporting said target in substantially upright position, the face of said target being marked with appropriate target indications, at least one of said indica tions including an aperture, and means in back of said target for releasably supporting a piece of paper across the aperture, said means including a piece of sheet metal one edge of which is provided with tongues received in mating slits in the target, and a catch at the opposite edge of said piece of sheet metal to hold the same against the back of the target, said piece of sheet metal being cut away in back of the aforesaid target aperture.

6. A toy target for use with lrubber-tipped suction darts, said target comprising a smooth, fiat sheet metal body the edges of which are flanged.v and curled to rigidify the same, stand made of bent wire for supporting said target in substantially upright position, the face of said target being marked with appropriate target indications, at least one of said indications including a circular aperture larger in diameter than the tip back of said target a piece of paper across the aperture, said means including a piece of sheet metal the lower edge of which is provided with projecting hinge tongues received in mating slits in the target, a pivoted ngerpiece at the opposite side of said piece of sheet metal to hold the same against the back of the target, said piece oi sheet metal being apertured in registration with the aforesaid target aperture so that a dartmay pass through the target and through a piece of paper supported in back of said target by said piece of metal.

"1. A toy target having a flat extensive target face marked with appropriate target indications, said indications including a plurality of apertures, and means in back of said target for releasably supporting a piece of paper across the apertures, said means including a large piece of board, and releasable means to hold said board against the target, said board being apertured with a plurality of apertures mating with the plurality of apertures through the target.

8. A to'y target having a fiat extensive face marked with appropriate target indications, said indications including a plurality of apertures, and a backing piece in back of said target for releasably supporting apiece of paper across the apertures, said backing piece being apertured with a plurality of apertures mating with the plurality of apertures through the target, the location of said apertures on said target and backing piece being unsymmetrical and such that a piece of paper, after being used and ruptured at any or all of the target holes, may be turned around and again used, the breaks in the paper then being disposed out of registration with the target holes, and said target holes being covered of the dart, and means in for releasably supporting anew with fresh, of paper.

9. A toy target having a fiat extensive face marked with appropriate target indications, said a`plurality of apertures, and a backing piecein back of said target for releasably supporting a piece of paper across the apertures, said means including a large piece of board, dimensioned to fit in back of the target, and releasable means to hold said board against the target, said board being apertured with a plurality of apertures mating with the plurality of apertures through the target, the location of said apertures on said targetl and backing piece being unsymmetrical and such that a piece of paper, after being used and ruptured at any or all of the target holes, may be turned around and again in the paper then being out of registration with the target holes, and said target holes being covered anew with fresh, unbroken portions of the sheet of paper.

i0. A toy target comprising a flat extensive sheet metal body the edges of which are anged, means for supporting said target in substantially upright position, the face of said target being marked with appropriate target indications including an aperture, and means in back of said target for releasably supporting a piece of paper means including a large piece of board, dmensioned to t in back of the target within the flange of the target, said backing board having pivoted thereto one or more resilient strips the ends of which are dimensioned to reach the edge anges of the target when the strips are turned into locking position, the edge flanges of the target being arranged to receive the ends of the spring strips, said backing piece being apertured to mate with the aperture through the target.

unkroken portions of the sheet disposed 12. A toy targetl for use with suction darts,

anew with fresh, of paper.

aforesaid target and means whereby said backing plate is releasable tov facilitate removal and replacement of the paper.

JOHN BoNNE'i'r. ANTHONY sommen. 

